Instructor: Walter J. Ferrier, Ph.D.
Office: 455X B&E Bldg.
Tel: 257-9326
E-mail: wallyf@pop.uky.edu

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COURSE OVERVIEW

Strategic management is an integrative capstone course – the only course that challenges students to study and experience sets of multifunctional problems that confront top management. The course will allow students to bring together all of their learned functional skills (i.e., accounting, finance, marketing, etc.) and use them to study organizational problems within the context of real-world business case studies.
 

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of Strategic Management 499 are:

• To introduce students of business to the perplexities of multifunctional organizational problems.
• To acquaint students with the idiosyncrasies of top management as opposed to functional management.
• To actively involve students in the exploration of current ideas, issues, problems and techniques associated with those of top management and the total organization.
• To familiarize students with the current literature and theories of Strategic Management.
• To improve and sharpen report writing and presentation skills.

PEDAGOGY

Procedures to accomplish these objectives include: readings, cases, lectures, class discussions, videos, written reports, and an internet-based business strategy computer simulation.
 

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TEXTS (all required)

• De Kluyver, Cornelius A. 2000. Strategic Thinking: An Executive Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall  [Referred to as: Text]

• Capstone: Business Simulation. Management Solutions, Inc. at www.capsim.com [Referred to as:  Capstone]

• Harvard Business School Cases (12):
• IBP and the U.S. Meat Industry
• Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereal Industry in 1994 (A)
• The U.S. Airline Industry in 1995
• Starbucks
• Red Hat and the Linux Revolution
• Webvan: Groceries on the Internet
• Apple Computer in 1999
• Pennzoil Co.
• Monsanto: The Coming of Age of Biotechnology
• Monsanto's March into Biotechnology (B)
• DNA Plant Technology Corp. (DNAP)
• How to Fight a Price War

• Case/readings from Johnny Print:
• Ryka Inc.: The Athletic Shoe with a "Soul"
• Other readings TBA

 

CASE STUDY

The main pedagogical thrust of this course is case study. Therefore, the best way to learn from cases (and active discussion among students) is through preparation. Preparation for cases normally contains the following elements:

• Issues and outlook: What is the problem?
• What information is most relevant?
• What are the alternative solutions?
• What are the salient decision criteria?
• What are direct, indirect, and potential competitors likely to do?
• What is the best solution?
• What is the plan for action and implementation? Timing?
• What is overall impact and evaluation of the plan?

WRITTEN (and ORAL) CASE REPORTS

Each team of students is offered considerable flexibility to choose assignments and grading weights/distribution, etc. for the case reports.  Please meet with your team members and choose wisely ... you have to stick with the scheme you choose for the entire semester! Case reports [written or oral] that you choose to do are due on the date we plan to discuss in class (see MGT 499 Course Schedule).

Step  1:
Each team will choose three cases to do a report on, among 9 cases scheduled throughout the semester.

• Benefit: Cases are selected on team interest, scheduling needs, etc.

• 1)  Equal effort, equal grades (33%) for each student per case report.
• 2)  Total individual effort and grade for one case report per student (100%)
• 3)  Each student takes turns being the project leader for one of the case reports and will assume, for example, 50% of the effort and grade for the report, with the other team members taking on 25% of the effort and grades (could also break down grading as, say 80-10-10, etc.).

• Bottom line: Each team member must receive 100 points after all three case reports are graded.
• Benefit: Teams can take advantage of recognized synergies among team members.  Yet, teams with conflicting schedules (and/or personalities, philosophies, etc.) can do reports on their own, if they wish to do so.

• Benefit:  Teams/individuals who prefer the oral report format, wish to hone presentation skills, etc. may do so.  Those who dislike orals are not forced into it.

Please consult the Guidelines for Written and Oral Case Reports. for, of course, guidelines and SAMPLE CASE REPORTS Your reports will be graded according to the level of professionalism (in both substance and aesthetics). . Late papers will carry a substantial penalty (i.e., drop five points for each day past the due date).

Sample case reports are also located at Guidelines for Written and Oral Case Reports
 
 

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GRADING

The following table contains both individual and group assignments required for the course:
 

Assignment	Weight
1. Capstone Simulation Performance (Group)	10%
2. Capstone Pre-Game Written Report (Group)	10%
3. Capstone Post-Game Written Report (Group)	10%
4. Case Reports (three, Group or Individ.)	50%
5. Corporate Social Responsibility Report (Group)	10%
6. Participation (Individ.)	10%
TOTAL	100%

 

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CAPSTONE Simulation

The class will be organized into three-person teams to carry out the Capstone simulation. In forming these teams, please consider both the expertise of each of the team members across functional areas (i.e., marketing, finance, accounting, etc.) and scheduling flexibility (i.e., ability of team member to meet out of class). A team that is functionally diverse may be more likely to do better than a team of all accounting majors, for example. So, don’t just pick your friends as teammates – as this type of group work has been known to occasionally strain friendships.

After a pre-game briefing and practice session, teams will be required to conduct EIGHT (8) official decisions. Groups will be evaluated on the outcome of the simulation (i.e., the group’s company stock price, market share, profit, etc.) as well as two 5-page written briefs (to be discussed later).

In order for the class to stick to the decision schedule, it is absolutely imperative that all decision are uploaded via the web on the due date: late uploads will not be accepted. Keep in mind that the Capstone simulation comprises 30% of your grade.
 
 

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E-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE

All students are required to subscribe to the appropriate to the MGT 499 LISTSERV e-mail list (MGT499DAY@lsv.uky.edu). This LISTSERV list will be used for: a) correspondence between instructor and the class, 2) discussion about course topics, 3) correspondence between student teams, etc.  Please see the course web site for instructions (http://www.uky.edu/~wallyf/list499.html)
 

PARTICIPATION

One of the critical factors in making this course a successful experience for everyone is the quality of student participation. Thus, students are expected to read all assignments before class and contribute to class discussions. The solutions to case and theory problems in this course can and will be varied. Often, the most complete understanding of and best solutions for important issues and challenges are arrived at only after substantial class debate and discussion; that is, learning from one another.

Meaningful participation could consist of any of the following:

• suggestion that a certain area of the case needs to be explored
• significant chunk of analysis
• structuring of logic taking some points raised earlier and bringing them to a logical conclusion
• discussion of alternative not previously identified
• suggested plan of action or implementation
• identification of a key assumption
• meaningful summary

ATTENDANCE

You are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings. Much of the most important material and perspectives relevant to successful case reports are covered in class. In addition, failure to attend regularly will result in a poor participation score

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